Eye tracking device detects brain tumors

A new device from Edinburgh could make it easier to detect brain tumors and other medical issues in small children.

The tool uses infrared light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to measure peripheral, or side, vision. Problems seeing to the side can indicate a number of serious conditions including brain damage, tumors and strokes.

Currently, testing peripheral vision requires a patient to sit extremely still and press a button in response to flashing lights. The new system uses LEDs and a camera to monitor eye movement while the patient looks at a TV screen. The tool was developed by i2eye Diagnostics, which was launched by Edinburgh BioQuarter.

Not needing to sit perfectly still can make a world of a difference when testing young children.

“Until now we’ve had no way to measure exactly the visual fields of young children,” Robert Minns, a professor of neurology at the University of Edinburgh, told BBC. “All we have been able to do is sit in front of them and try to see where we think they can look. This system uses a child’s natural inquisitiveness.”

Children tested by the new system are asked to watch a cartoon icon on a TV screen and can even sit on a parent’s lap during testing. According to Peter Estibeiro, i2eye chief executive, the tracker uses a patient’s natural reactions to assess peripheral vision.

A prototype of the machine is currently in use at Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

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